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Appointment and Discontinuation of Postdoctoral Fellows

The maximum term of appointment for a Postdoctoral Fellow is five years. Following this five-year training period, a Postdoctoral Fellow must either be moved into an established employee position (options are listed on the Office of Postdoctoral Services [OPS] website) or separated with a minimum ninety days notice.

• This term of appointment refers to total time spent at UNC-Chapel Hill under rank code 27 or 28, and does not include time spent at other institutions.
  
• To request an extension of appointment, mentors/advisors of Postdoctoral Fellows may submit a Request for Extension of Appointment form indicating exceptional circumstances that require an extended appointment.  This form must be cosigned by the Postdoctoral Fellow as well as the department chair (or dean where appropriate) and submitted to the Vice Chancellor for Research and Economic Development.  Requests for extensions will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis.  (The Form for requesting extensions is available on the OPS website.)

A Postdoctoral Fellow may have his/her appointment ended with thirty days notice if the funding supporting his/her appointment ends. However, a Postdoctoral Fellow may have his/her appointment ended without notice at any time during the appointment if he/she is found by his/her mentor to have violated the expectations set forth in this policy.  To appeal this decision, the Fellow may refer to the Grievance Procedure for Postdoctoral Fellows.